Prism Heart
by kingdom mitsumi
Summary: A series of connecting stories between Vocaloids, colors, and their lives. T for Teen due to violence, some mild/implied sexual content, and language. Includes a lot of Vocaloids not accounted for in the tags.
1. Red (Luka)

Prism = Heart

Rated T for Teen for Violence, Blood, Crime, Language, and Sexual Behaviors.  
I do not own the Vocaloid Software (Yamaha) OR any of the Voicebanks, which belong to Crypton Future Media, Internet Co., AHS, PowerFX, Zero-G, Yamaha, Sony, B-Plats, Voctro Labs, and ST MEDiA. Characters may not appear right away in early chapters, and may not appear until the middle of the series, or the end.

A.N: This will be a 17 Chapter series. Everything is planned out. Please enjoy!

 **Chapter 1: RED "Baby When I look at you, all I see is Red, Red, Red, Red!"**

Luka Akarine stepped into her small bathroom, facing the mirror that had always been cracked in the corner. Her red and pink manicured nails glided through her long pink locks as she gussied herself up. Her twilight eyes shone bright under the mirror's blinding lights, a smile on her pale face. Today was another day for the aspiring artist.

The young woman had been living at the Yamanet Apartments for two years, having obtained a graphic design degree at the local community college in the city. Luka was talented, having knacks for colors. As a freelance graphic designer, Luka had found her best clientele to be those working in the romance department: dating apps, Valentine's Day promotions, weddings, anniversaries. The colors simply could click inside of her head, and translated efficiently to the digital screen. Many were astounded by the young woman's knack with the clientele; Luka herself had never dated which often added to the shock. Yet, Luka never questioned it. She was happy to support herself in such a difficult economic climate. After all, there were perks to living at the Yamanet Apartments…

"Next is," Luka clicked her tongue as she thumbed her emails, "A specialty Valentine's Day card for a Mister Fukase Mikarenji…" Daytime soap operas droned on as background noise in the apartment.

Luka's desk was in her kitchen, though positioned to face the living room, and ultimately the TV. The window was to her left, the red curtains opened just a hair to let the sunlight filter in. One could see out to the other complexes. Each apartment was either a single bedroom, or double bedroom, and each was its own small building. A row of about 20 were lined up and down, forming Yamanet Apartments, or at least their North Side branch. While not a traditional apartment complex, Luka preferred this setup as opposed to having to walk up and down stairs. The set up also offered the positive of being able to meet your neighbors in a friendlier setting.

"Mmm, it's only January but he already wants a Valentine's Day card?" Luka mused as she began her work, setting up her go-to template for cards, "I'm shocked a college student is offering me $50 for a card, but I can't complain. I'll make it worth his money," She giggled to herself. Whoever was receiving this card, was surely a lucky, loved person.

Luka didn't finish until 6pm, having poured as much of her inspiration possible into the card. She beamed at the card and emailed it over, asking to see if it was to her client's standard. Luka stood up from her wood chair, stretching.

"Oh my, it's already 6?" She glanced at the clock on the wall, "I suppose I should grab something to eat." Luka grabbed her coat, hanging on a nook, and slid it over her turtleneck dress, "Hmm, I know where."

Luka stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind her. She began walking towards the parking lot to her car, chilled by the cold winter weather. She crossed paths with her neighbor; He warmly smiled at her, offering a simple, "Hey" as he briskly walked to his own apartment. Luka smiled, face flushed, and continued to her car in high spirits.

Luka's neighbor was a kind, handsome young man. He had been at the apartments since she had moved in the summer of graduation. He had helped her move-in, though she had worried about being unable to pay him back at the time. Her neighbor laughed it off, chalking it up to 'it's what neighbors do.' He lived alone, and working some 9-5 job in the city area. Luka was unsure what her favorite thing about him was. It could be his smile, or perhaps his personality. That warm, personable personality made her heart beat fast, and red. Her face lit up, just as red, every time he so much as glanced in her general direction. In truth, he was the inspiration for her graphic design work. Her neighbor alone fueled her desire for becoming a freelance artist, for her clientele to be in the romance area of humans, for her to be content in life. Yet, despite all of it, Luka was too shy to admit this out loud, let alone the man. Deep down, the 24-year-old woman would rather break to pieces than tell the truth of her reddening feelings. She had often spent nights in bed, mentally writhing on if perhaps designing a card for him would be enough to spell out her feelings. Her confidence was too shaky in entrusting her feelings to a card. Her palms were too sweaty, her face too flushed, her speech faltering. Still, she loved her neighbor.

Luka returned home, having ate at a nearby café. She walked up to her apartment, seeing a girl with short, green hair at her neighbor's door. The girl smiled at Luka and waved, warm and friendly. Luka smiled back. The girl often came over to the house. She presumed they were siblings, given their matching eye color, and the girl seemed nice, as far as Luka was aware.

"Maybe tonight I can work myself up to it," Luka muttered to herself as she stepped inside her home, "First, I need to see if that Fukase guy responded…" Luka logged back into her laptop, and saw a reply from the man: Perfect. Luka smiled. Another satisfied customer.

"Maybe I can satisfy him too," Luka sat in her chair, folding her arms on the desk. She rested her chin on her arms, eyes half closed as she thought on it, "But, what if he says no? But, why would he? He's nice, and I'm nice. He knows that. It wouldn't hurt, and he is single." Luka smiled as she attempted to instill confidence into herself.

"But, what if? What if there's a reason he's single?" Luka wondered out loud, "Is he dying? But, he wouldn't be working then. …Oh, I'm overthinking this!" Luka sighed in exasperation, "I'll do it!" She declared boldly, "I'll finally be honest with him!"

And so, Luka began work on a special Valentine's Day card just for her unrequited lover. She opened her infamous card template, and set out to complete her mission. Luka combed through all of her favorite romantic fonts, spending 30 minutes alone on the spacing and position of the font itself. She played with the saturation and brightness of a variety of reds and pinks. She settled on a crimson red after what felt like a tortuous eternity of deciding between that color and a dark cherry red. Luka was more than hell bent on creating the perfect, romantic card for her lover. She was determined. Time ticked on until it was finally midnight. Luka stepped away from the laptop, briskly walking to her printer that hummed. A paper spat out: the card. Luka examined her design thoroughly before smiling in satisfaction.

"Perfect!" Luka contently sighed, an air of excitement laced in. Her masterpiece was complete!

Luka carefully cut out the card, not wanting to leave any white space, but not wanting to cut off her work. Once that was done, all that was left to do now was deliver the card. Luka looked outside the window, staring into the pitch black night.

"It's quite too late to do that now," Luka yawned, turning from the window. She set the card down on the table, "I'll do it in the morning, bright and early! In person!"

With that, Luka retired for the night, dreaming soundly of her soon to be romantic life.

Luka awoke early in the morning at 7am. Despite the earliness, she was bright and awake. She took a brisk shower, and ate a quiet breakfast of scrambled eggs with extra pepper. Luka's face was stuck in a smile, her thoughts zeroed in on her lover. Today was finally the day she had worked up the courage to be honest with him about her feelings. That in itself felt powerful. Her hands trembled in excitement even as she ate her hearty breakfast.

Once the dishes were done, and her nerves mostly settled, Luka gingerly picked up the card. Now was better than never. Luka peeked out the window, wanting to see if anyone else was outside. Instead, she was greeted with a shocking sight.

Her lover was outside with the green haired girl, the two kissing. Her neighbor said something before heading to the parking lot, and the girl going back inside. The card fell to Luka's floor lamely without a sound. Her world was coming down.

This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be with him, to confess to him on this day.

That girl wasn't his sister. They were lovers.

Luka's heart ached in pain as the realization swept over her. Tears began to form in her twilight eyes, the worst case scenario having happened in front of her. She was certain that all of the luscious, beautiful reds she was accustomed to would become lonesome, sorrowful blues.

…Why was that girl with him? What did she have that Luka didn't? That girl wasn't ugly, nor did Luka know a shred of anything about this mysterious green haired girl, but Luka was more than certain that she was a better lover than that girl could ever be. Luka balled her fists, sucking in her tearful breath. A single tear fell down her cheek, but none more than that.

Luka Akarine had in fact not seen blue from the heartache. She was still seeing, living in the red world she loved. But now, she was seeing a whole new type of red for this girl.

Now it was a matter of getting the girl away from her neighbor. That matter was tricky, and Luka was unsure of where to start. Luka paced her apartment, mulling over her options. She was not morally sick enough to force her lover to cheat on that wench. Even Luka had standards. Yet, Luka knew that she had to remove the girl from the picture somehow. Luka glanced at her TV, droning on and on with soap operas. Luka smiled.

Knock Knock!

Luka stood outside of her neighbor's home, smiling as she normally did. It was the late afternoon, around 3pm, and Luka had spent the day making home-made cookies. The door opened, the green haired girl smiling back.

"Hi, I'm Luka Akarine," Luka introduced herself, "And I don't think we've ever met, you are?" The girl seemed stunned to have heard that, but kept her smile.

"Ah, well, I'm Gumi Megurei," Gumi introduced herself back, "Do you live in this complex?" Luka nodded.

"I actually live next door!" Luka warmly then offered, "Would you like to come over? I actually just baked some cookies earlier." Gumi looked to the side for a moment, considering it.

"Hmmm," She turned back to Luka with a smile, "Sure, just give me a sec!" Perfect.

Gumi came over to Luka's apartment, sitting on the gently used couch. Luka set down a platter of cookies on the coffee table in front of her.

"They might still be a bit hot, so be careful! I'll be right back." Luka smiled at Gumi, heading to the bathroom.

This was her chance. It was probably the only shot she had at getting rid of this girl. Once she was done, there was no going back. Luka coldly stared at the tiled floor of her bathroom, but then decided to go forward without a hint of hesitation. Luka slid her hand into her dress pocket, and firm grip on the knife handle resting inside before heading back out.

"Keh! Kh-" Gumi was coughing up a storm as Luka approached her. She winced out, "Hey, uh, these cookies taste a bit odd?" It was probably the bleach, "What recipe did you use, if you don't mind?"

"Oh." Luka calmly responded, "Bleach."

Luka pulled the knife out of her pocket and leapt at Gumi like a ferocious lion setting upon a gazelle. Gumi let out a hoarse scream, the remains of her cookie falling to the carpet. She fell back against the couch, Luka on top of her with the knife. Luka's first few attempts at stabbing the girl were missed, thanks to Gumi's raised arms in a futile attempt to defend herself. Luka held back the girl's arms, and finally stabbed the girl in the gut.

"GYA!" Gumi screamed, trying to kick Luka off of her. Luka didn't budge against the girls' struggles. Her adrenaline, her focus was too strong to waver.

"DIE! DIE!" Luka brought the knife down on the girl more, "HE'S MINE! YOU HEAR ME! HE'S MINE!"

"Lu-Lu-Luuuu…." Gumi's body twitched with each stab, blood spilling from her mouth. Her arms fell to her sides, dangling off the couch.

Luka got off of the girl, the bloody knife still in her hand. Gumi's skin was becoming paler by the second, the bright red blood on her body darkening gradually. Her emerald eyes were desaturated, unfocused. She was without a doubt dead.

"I have to clean up this mess." Luka sighed, "Before he comes over."

At 7pm, there was a knock at Luka's door. Luka smiled and answered the door, facing her lover. He seemed a tad nervous, maybe even panicked.

"Luka, right?" The man asked, and quickly said, "Have you seen my girlfriend? Gumi Megurei? She left a note saying she was going over to a neighbor's house, and she's not home." Luka smiled.

"Oh dear, yes," Luka smiled, "How about you come in, so we can talk more about it?" Luka offered ever so warmly. Her cheeks were already flushed red. The man seemed a tiny bit relieved.

"Thank-you, I will." The man sighed in relief. Luka led him into her apartment, a wide smile on her flushed face.

"Sorry it's a bit dark," Luka apologized as she led him in. The kitchen lights were the only lights on, "But please sit in this chair." Luka leaned against the door as her unrequited love sat in her usual work chair. The sight of him being in her house made her heart gush with joy. Her legs were trembling. Luka locked the door, but he didn't notice.

"No worries," The man assured her, immediately asking, "So, you saw Gumi earlier then?"

"Yes, yes I did." Luka nodded as she walked over to him, recounting the afternoon to him, "She came over to my apartment, and enjoyed some cookies I made."

"Did she leave afterwards? Did she say where?" The man asked, sounding a bit panicked. Luka smiled.

"Well, there was a little accident." Luka gently placed her hand over her mouth, "It was unfortunate, really." Luka stepped over to the door again, flicking on the lights.

Gumi's body was still sat on the couch, albeit sans a head. That was resting on the coffee table with the bleach cookie platter. The blood had dried, sticking to the couch and carpet. The man got up from the chair in horror, nearly knocking it over in the process.

"Oh god…Holy…Holy Shit…Gumi…!" He ran over to his lover, unsure of if to cradle her body or her head. He began to uncontrollably sob, his body trembling, "Gumi…Gumi…No…" Luka gracefully walked over to him, her arms wrapping around his neck in a loving embrace.

"Don't worry. We can be together now that she's gone, hehe," Luka whispered into his ear contently, "Whenever I see you, all I see is red baby." Luka licked her lips.

"Why…Why would…" The man sobbed out. Luka stepped away from the man, confused and put off by his reaction towards her.

Why wasn't he holding her? Why was he only paying attention to that little bitch? He should be noticing Luka not some dead girl! Luka's nails dug into hands.

"This is unfortunate." Luka coldly said. She walked back to the kitchen as the man mourned, picking up the freshly washed knife, "How unfortunate." She stabbed the man in the back.

"AHHH!" He fell face forward with a cry filled with agony.

"NOTICE ME!" Luka ripped the knife out of his back and stabbed him again, and again, and again, and again.

His blood splattered all over the carpet, over the couch, over the table, over Luka. Luka must've stabbed him 50 times by the time her wrists were sore, her hands cut up from slipping off the handle and onto the blade. She dropped the knife onto the red mush that was his body. Luka examined the scene around her. Red. Red. Red. Everything was covered in red. He bled a beautiful crimson. He was dead. But Luka wanted more. She wanted more Red.

Red. Red. Red. Red. Red. Red.

She wanted more red. She NEEDED more red. SHE CRAVED MORE RED.

But he was dead. And that girl was dead.

Luka smiled, and picked up the knife once more.

"I must. Have more."

She fell onto her back as the knife plunged into her stomach. Luka pulled it out, a disgusting noise accompanying the action. More red covered the apartment.

Red. Red. Red. Red. Red Red.

It was all that Luka wanted. And, now she seemingly had it.

I've had this idea on the backburner for a whole month! Now that I'm graduating, I have a lot of free time at the moment, so, I might as well pick up the pace on writing. I will still continue my remake of Vocaloid House! This is simply a side project I wanted to get out. – Kingdom Mitsumi


	2. Blue (Rin)

**Chapter 2: Blue, "The blue abyss I'm in is both heaven and hell"**

It was 8:32 pm when Detective Rin Kazure pulled up to the Yamanet Apartment complex on the North Side of the city. She was surprised to have received a homicide call in such a nice area, though, looks were simply superficial. A few neighbors had gathered outside the complex in question, thanks to the presence of police officers. Rin strode up to a uniform clad officer with dark purple locks, who was speaking with who she presumed to be a neighbor.

"Captain Gasaki," Rin addressed the officer, "I'm here."

"Detective Kazure," Captain Gakupo Gasaki greeted Rin firmly, though with a slight friendly air, "It's good to see you. The crime scene is inside, but wait a moment. I'm chatting with the neighbor across from the scene."

"What do you mean wait? Isn't this a double homicide?" Rin asked bluntly. She was an efficient detective who preferred to get through her cases quickly, but with thorough investigation.

"Well," Before Captain Gaskai could continue, a few paramedics stepped out of the apartment with a woman with long pink hair, covered in blood. She was restrained to a stretcher, and was shouting incoherently, "That's why." Rin simply nodded. The woman was carried away. Well, that was the suspect all right.

"I-I-I'll be okay though, right?" The neighbor asked nervously. He was a dark skinned teenager, probably only a bit younger than Rin herself.

"We'll have you come down to the station for a statement, alright? We'll handle protecting you," Captain Gasaki assured the man. He patted him on the shoulder before another officer led him away. Captain Gasaki turned to Rin, "Any questions, detective?"

"No, I'm going on," With that, it was time to investigate.

The interior of the apartment was rather normal, sans the crime scene. Rin crouched down. It was obvious that the girl was murdered first. It was plain as day. It would explain the decapitation, which appeared to be postmortem from Rin's quick look around. An autopsy would have to confirm more on that later. The man on the ground was freshly killed in contrast. Rin surmised he'd been lured in. How sad. Captain Gasaki stepped in as Rin stepped away from the bodies.

"What do we know about these two?" Rin asked the Captain, scribbling notes in her trusty blue notebook, "And how are they connected to our suspect?"

"Our suspect, the one with the paramedics, is Luka Akarine," Captain Gasaki filled her in, "Freelancer, and has been here for 2 years. She owns the apartment. The witness I spoke with earlier saw her speaking with the first victim, Gumi Megurei around 3. He lives right across from her."

"Gumi Megurei," Rin scribbled the name as she said it, "What do we know about her? Did she know the suspect?"

"Preliminary investigation on the next door apartment says she's the other victim's partner. She was in college for a business degree at Future Yamanet University, according to a pieces of paper left in that apartment," Captain Gasaki continued on, "The man was a manager at Telware Paper Company."

"I see," Rin glanced at the ground, noting something on the kitchen floor. She walked over and picked it up carefully with some tongs that had been left out, "A Valentine's Day card."

"Isn't it early?" Captain Gasaki raised an eyebrow. Rin examined the note.

"It appears our suspect was infatuated with her neighbor," Rin set the tongs, and by extension, the evidence, onto the kitchen table, "This is a pretty cut and dry case."

"I'll have you question the suspect once she's stable tomorrow," Captain Gasaki informed Rin, before thanking her, "Thanks for coming out on short notice."

"It's my job, Captain." Rin sighed, tucking her short blonde hair behind her ears, "Someone has to do it, right? Crime doesn't sleep. I'll start my report tonight. If anything comes up, have anyone message me ASAP."

"Of course, detective."

Rin Kazure returned to her apartment late into the night. She lived on the East Side of town in a high rise apartment. It was a humble, simple apartment. She was attempting to relax in her bathtub on this especially solemn night. Rin loved her job. She loved her co-workers. She loved enacting justice. But, Rin couldn't hide the toll that each murder had on her. Homicide was her specialty, and it came with a hefty price of caring just too much. Each victim, each family, each suspect, and each of their families always tore away at her conscious, her heart. It filled her with a blue painful sadness. She had began working as a detective last year, and yet was still not over the shock each homicide brought her.

It's normal, she told herself. Yet she held back tears as each body was taken to the morgue.

Justice will be upheld, she told herself. Yet the sobs of families on both sides tore at her mind.

It'll be easier as times goes on, she told herself. And still she was on the verge of tears in her bath tub this very second.

Despite it all, Rin couldn't find it in herself to leave the job she still loved. Rin sunk deeper into the waters, everything save her head under the water. Her phone which sat on the edge of the tub hadn't rung, let alone lit up. Rin wondered if Captain Gasaki was looking out for her, and didn't want to disturb her. He was a good captain, always making sure each of the officers under his command weren't too stressed in the particularly stressful field. Rin closed her eyes, basking in the stillness that was the water and her sorrow.

Bzzt.

Or not. Rin glanced over at her phone, seeing a text message from one her close friend. Well, now was as good as a time as any to get out of the tub. Rin sat up and removed the drain plug, sighing in slight disappointment.

Rin sat at the edge of her bed, thumbing through her text messages in a tank top and shorts. As usual, her best friend wanted to chat with her about autopsies and getting experience. Len Karosa was two years younger than Rin, and had for some weird reason wanted to go into autopsies. Why, who knows. Rin had to give the kid credit for being able to be more composed emotionally than her with dead bodies. Rin texted him back, messaging, 'Meet at station at 3,' before putting her phone on the charger. Rin crawled back up to top of the bed and plopped to her side, shutting her eyes tight. Tonight would be another sad night.

The downtown police station was in a buzz as usual. The homicide department was hot on the trails of last night's homicide, and the number one suspect had just been transferred from the hospital over to the station for interrogation. Rin went straight for the interrogation room, her long navy winter coat still on her petite frame. She only had to glance at the officer standing outside the door for him to quickly nod and open the door for her. The cold, stone grey room had only a metal table and two chairs inside. Rin sat at one chair, facing the handcuffed suspect. The officer who had been outside the door rushed back in to hand Rin a case file, before ducking back out.

"Hello, Officer." The suspect greeted Rin warmly.

"I am detective Rin Kazure," Rin properly introduced herself, "You've been read your rights, Luka Akarine?"

"I have," Luka nodded, smiling. It was oddly creepy to see the woman smile. Rin mentally shuddered, "What may I help you with today then, detective Kazure?"

"Miss Akarine," Rin began, being rather blunt with the delusional woman, "You do realize you are the prime suspect of the murder of your neighbor and his girlfriend? You are facing life in prison without parole if convicted. So, I'm going to ask you questions related to the case, alright?" Luka simply nodded. Rin questioned if the woman was sane, but figured she must've been semi-sane to be in interrogation. Rin thumbed through the file first.

Case files weren't as hard for Rin, but often the gory details were laced in. In this case, there were photos of the deceased, of evidence. Simply looking at it made Rin feel melancholy. A wave of blue sorrow washed over her momentarily before she set down the file.

"Miss Akarine," Rin began the questioning, "Did you invite Gumi Megurei into your apartment?"

"I did, detective." Luka answered, "I told her I had baked cookies, and she came over to my apartment to eat some, as well as talk with me."

"And what did you and Miss Megurei do in your apartment?" Rin asked her.

"She ate a cookie, which were laced with bleach," Luka added with a small smile before calmly finishing her statement with, "And then, I killed her."

"…How did you kill the deceased?" Rin asked. The woman had just confessed to murder, more than likely pre-meditated from the sounds of it.

"I stabbed her to death." Luka replied calmly, pausing before adding, "Well she tried to fight back, but, well, she's dead so, you know how that went," Luka giggled a tad at that remark.

"…I see." Rin sucked in a breath of air before asking, "Miss Akarine, you just confessed to murder. Would you like me to call an attorney for you? You can legally request one."

"No." Luka declined, adding, "Even if I had a lawyer, there is no point. I will be convicted," She smiled cheerily, "I really don't regret what I did. I saw what I wanted to see: Red." That mere statement sent ice blue chills down Rin's spine. Yet, somehow the statement reverberated in Rin.

"…I understand," Rin cleared her throat and continued her questioning, "What did you do after you murdered Miss Megurei?"

"I was going to clean up, but, frankly," Luka sighed, "It felt pointless. There was too much to clean up! But," Luka's twilight eyes narrowed, "…Seeing her like that angered me. So, I took off her head and shut off the lights. I then took a nice shower."

"And then, how did your neighbor enter your apartment?" Rin asked her, "Was it voluntary?"

"He came over, asking for where his girlfriend was," Luka explained calmly, "I had said she was in her earlier, so he came in. The lights were off in the living room. I locked the door, and turned on the lights."

"And what happened?" Rin asked her, adding, "When you turned on the lights?"

"He saw the dead girl. And cried." Luka emotionlessly said, seeming disappointed, "…I had thought he would love me then, but he was too focused on her. So I stabbed him too. And I kept stabbing him."

"How many times did you stab him?" Rin asked her, almost afraid to ask. The autopsy report had come in hours earlier, and had reported over 55 stab wounds on the poor soul.

"Oh, I'm not sure," Luka admitted, and then said, "After I stabbed him, I stabbed myself. But, not long after, the door came off the hinges, and officers came in."

"I see," Rin stood up from the table and simply nodded, "Thank you for your time, Miss Akarine. We will call an attorney for you, and process your charges." She collected the file and made her way to the door.

"Oh, detective," Luka called out. Rin turned to face the killer one last time. The pink haired woman smiled warmly at Rin, "It's a shame you can't see red. You seem to be stuck in a blue haze." Rin froze in her tracks for a single second, but exiting the room.

Rin sat at her desk in the station, typing up a preliminary report for Captain Gasaki. Luka Akarine's parting words were on her mind. She had just been transferred to the local women's prison after meeting with an attorney. From what Rin had overheard from the other officers, it was likely that Miss Akarine would agree to a plea bargain for life in prison with parole in 50 years. Despite such an open and shut case, it lingered on Rin's mind. Who in their right mind would snap and murder a man and a girl over love? Then again, it happened every day, but the chilling way she had gone about confessing to it? That in itself was horrifying to Rin.

"Rin?" Rin jumped in her chair at the call of her name, "D-did I scare you?" She turned and saw her friend, Len Karosa. The blond with teal eyes smiled at her. She could see a dark pink hoodie peeking out under his black and yellow winter coat.

"Oh, Len, no, it's fine." Rin exhaled a bit before getting out of her chair, "Want to head down? I already got the go ahead from the Captain."

"Yeah," Len smiled, "Let's go."

The police station had its own private morgue in the basement. It was both beneficial, but mildly creepy. The two went down the stairs and into the freezing cold room. Rin pulled out the body of Gumi Megurei, and lifted it onto the stretcher with Len's help. He then took the body from the stretcher to the examination table.

"Damn, she died terribly." Len remarked, grimacing at the body. He then noticed the head, and audibly winced, "Whoever did this must be sick in the head…morally."

"You could say that," Rin quietly remarked. She sat in a chair, unable to look at the victim's body again.

Len thoroughly investigated the body, cutting it open once again to simply get a feel for autopsies. Rin had always wondered why Captain Gasaki was fine with Len doing this now and again, and figured it was only because he didn't mutilate any of them. In fact, he was rather careful with the bodies. Len returned the body to the freezer on his own as Rin sat in the chair.

"Rin," Len spoke up after having shut the freezer door, "Is something wrong?" Rin looked up at him from her notebook.

"What do you mean?" Rin asked him. Her grip on the notebook tightened.

"You seem down," Len noted, seeming concerned for her. Len walked over to Rin, sitting down in the chair beside hers, "Is it something to do with this case? …Was that girl one of the victims, Rin?"

"…She was." Rin quietly admitted, eyes glued to the floor, "She was brutally murdered by a jealous woman."

"It's hard to see that, isn't it?" Len asked her, a small smile on his face, "Having to go day in and out seeing a bunch of bodies, their deaths, and then have to see their loved ones?"

"…Yeah." Rin's voice cracked a bit as she responded, "It's hard, but it's my job. I signed up for it. I have to get used to it though."

"I know you do," Len assured her, "But it's okay if you're not used to it yet, you know that right? Even I get sad when I see cadavers in class. I love doing what I do, even if I'm in school, but," Len sighed a bit, still maintaining his reassuring smile, "it's okay if it hurts ya know…Because we're just human."

"…Thank-you, Len." Rin quietly smiled as a few stray tears fell down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away, not wanting to show too much weakness, though it wouldn't be the first time he would've seen cry, "Really, thank-you."

"No problem, I have to look out for you, don't I?" Len smiled brightly at her. Rin's navy blue depression lifted into sky blue happiness. Len's hand hesitated towards her back, but shakily moved to her shoulder, "Do you have anything to do after? Or are you off?"

"Hm, oh, well, I just have to write the report which I can do from home." Rin told him, and then asked, "Why are you asking, Len?"

"Do…you want to go out for ice cream?" Len asked her, getting up from the chair with a smile. He extended his hand out to her, "Get your mind off the case for a bit?"

"Isn't it a bit too cold for ice cream?" Rin smirked at her friend. Len nervously laughed, realizing that she had a point, "Well, it's never a wrong time for ice cream, so I'll take you up on that offer." Rin grabbed his hand. Len smiled back, much more confidently, and pulled Rin to her feet.

As Rin walked out of the station with Len at her side, she smiled softly at the blue sky above her. It greeted her calmly, gently, unlike the depressing site of a crime scene. Perhaps it was merely her outlook thanks to Len. After all, he was rather kind, though she wouldn't dare date him the way she was now. Rin didn't was too fearful that her job, though mostly her still raw emotional feelings for the crime scenes, would get in the way of a relationship. Still, in the future… she wouldn't mind…. Well, never mind that.

This afternoon, Rin could admit she was still feeling blue. But, blue wasn't just sorrow, and Rin could at least take some type of solace on that.

This chapter was weirdly hard to right, well at least to end. I think it ends okay though, while also leading into the next chapter. – Kingdom Mitsumi


	3. Pink (Len)

**Chapter 3: Pink "All these feelings are rosy pink"**

Len Karosa sat across from the ever so quiet, yet beautiful Rin Kazure at the ice cream parlor, ice cream cone in hand. Even now, sitting at the familiar parlor with her made Len nervous. He had originally suggested the ice cream parlor to try and cheer Rin up over her most recent homicide case, one he frankly only knew involved a now headless woman. Len had also enjoyed the moment to get close to his middle school friend, though in no way was confident enough to be honest with her. Still, he treasured his friendship with Rin above all else, and Len wouldn't dare put Rin in something uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?" Rin spoke up as she silently ate her orange sherbet ice cream. Len jumped a bit in the booth and laughed.

"N-no, nothing at all." Len insisted nervously and took a bite into his banana-chocolate ice cream, "Just thinking about classes, and tests…"

"Didn't classes start up again last week?" Rin asked with a head tilt. Len nodded, "I don't miss those."

"Hehe, yeah I can't blame you on that," Len weakly laughed at that.

Len was majoring in biology, but specifically he was interested in autopsies. It was weird; He knew it was weird. Len had been deadest on the path since the death of his father in grade school, before he had even met Rin in middle school. Len was barely a year into his major, but he enjoyed it so. The thought of one day working with Rin also filled the love-struck boy with joy, but he would've been content working anywhere as long as it was related to examining dead bodies.

"You have friends in college, right?" Rin nervously asked Len, eyeing him. Len was taken aback by her question.

"Wh-what? I mean, I have people I hang out with…" Len then asked out of confusion, "Why are you asking me that out of the blue?"

"…I'm worried about you is all." Rin answered, having just finished her ice cream, "You were never that great at socialization. And I know you're a bit dependent on me, not that I mind." Len couldn't help but blush at that comment. Rin? Worried about him? He had to admit he was embarrassed.

"Ah, well, don't worry too much about me!" Len assured Rin with a smile, "Even if that is true, I'm fine, really. Besides, I wouldn't consider any of them a better friend than you are." Jeez, coming off strong aren't you? Len wondered if his arrogance was too much.

"Well, most friends don't catch their friends lip syncing to crappy idol songs in the shower," Rin slyly said, a smirk on her face. Len blushed again. The memory of 14-year-old him being embarrassed was burned into his head.

"Y-you said we would never discuss that again." Len stammered out. Rin softly smiled, letting out a small laugh.

"Well, I guess I did." Rin recalled, "Though, it wasn't too bad really." Len wondered if it was appropriate to implore for more detail. He decided that would be weird in public. Rin exited the booth, dusting off her jeans, "I'm going to head out and finish my report, okay? If you need anything, let me know. See ya," She smiled at Len, "Okay, Len?"

"Yep, see ya, Rin!" Len waved to her, finishing off his ice cream. Rin left the parlor and Len sighed in defeat, "I can't catch a break…" Len face planted onto the table.

Len wasn't exactly sure when he had started having romantic feelings for his friend. It wasn't in middle school, that was for sure. The two had been in the same middle school, and had gotten along quickly. Len was the quiet, meek geeky 6th grader obsessed with death, and Rin was the new, moody 8th grade student from another district. Naturally, they had gotten along at lunch. The two had become close friends, and still were close even now. Len could only surmise that it had all began in sophomore year, when Rin was a senior. It was if some day Len simply noticed he was attracted to his best friend. At first, Len had felt dirty, or as if he was falling into some weird stereotype, and or worried he was into older women and setting himself up for accidentally becoming a cougar's play toy in the future. However, it wasn't long after that Len had simply come to terms with it, and kept his true feelings for Rin at bay.

Now, Len knew this was a TERRIBLE way to deal with feelings. After all, keeping those thoughts and feelings down were awful for him. Yet, Len was more than willing to wait for a sign that Rin was comfortable with a relationship. That sign wasn't there or so Len hadn't seen the sign yet. The grossly pink feelings were left to bile up inside of Len, only to show through his hot pink flushed face, and sweaty palms.

"Ahhhhhhh," Len returned to his dorm room, slamming his face against the bed immediately as he screamed out loud. His roommate looked over at him with confusion, though not general concern.

"…Len. What are you doing?" His roommate asked, probably giving him a judging look.

"Oh, just screaming externally because I'm a spineless idiot." Len casually replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary, Yohio." Len's roommate Yohio Gulloid was a rather quiet individual who probably gave no shits about Len's wellbeing. He kept his side clean, and the bathroom clean so Len had no reason to complain.

"So about that girl you like?" Yohio raised an eyebrow. Len resumed his external screaming, though more quietly, "I see, well, you do you bud."

"Yohio," Len asked him, trying to retain his roommate's attention, "Have you ever been in love before?"

"Not really, no." Yohio replied rather quickly, "Why?"

"I was wondering if you had advice." Len meekly admitted. He was rather desperate on how to handle this crush.

"Stop being spineless." Yohio simply said before getting out of bed and leaving the room.

"…Thank-you." Len sighed, rolling onto his back and staring straight into his ceiling, "As if that wasn't obvious." Len groaned, "I need to be more confident in myself."

Len awoke the next morning to a day without classes, thanks to some nonsense college holiday he didn't care about. Yohio had already left to go do art, or whatever it was that he did. Len honestly didn't care, as he was focused on his mission: gather the courage to be honest with Rin. To do so, Len surmised his best way would be to collect research. First, was fanfiction.

"…Hmmm, hmmm, I see," Len scribbled down notes in his magenta notebook, torn from high school days, "Be smooth, but be realistic." Len scrolled down on the page, "This is such a nice story. I mean, the guy has confessed to the girl and," Len's voice immediately cracked as his eyes got to the next paragraph, his face breaking out into hot pink.

"Oh my god." He backed out of the story, "…That was smut. Wait," Len blanched realizing what he was reacting, "I've watched porn. WHY DID THAT FREAK ME OUT?" Len forwarded back to the story, scrolling down before backing out again, "Why are fanfiction writers so kinky?" Well, he had gotten what he needed from that story, so no foul done.

Len's second research topic included looking into comic books and manga.

"Hmmm," Len had a comic book open in one hand, and a manga in the other hand, trying to read both at once, "I see…So I somehow become an android idol? Hm, that seems rather farfetched. I mean, who would seriously invent something like that?" Len laughed out loud at the thought of that.

"Okay, in the manga," Len then glanced towards the manga, "normally you have to be surrounded by at least 2 or 3 other girls who are interested with you, and each has a polarizing personality type. Well, considering my physical appearance, that's unlikely to ever occur." Len closed both, realizing they were dead ends, "Well, there went that."

Len's final research topic was watching a chick flick.

"Oh god this story is making me feel bad," Len was at the verge of tears by the end of the movie, sniffling, "Jessica, I feel you, I really do." Yohio came into the room at this point, having returned around 5pm.

"Len, what in the name of all that is holy are you watching?" Yohio asked in the most strained voice Len had ever heard. Len looked up at his roommate, teary eyed, "Oh god."

"It's called Jessica's First Summer, and it's the most depressing thing I've seen…" Len whimpered out through held back tears and a choked up voice, "She finally was able to live her life the way she wanted to and with Damian… FINALLY…. She worked so hard to achieve that Yohio, so hard…!" Len began to ugly cry at the movie.

"I. I can't." Yohio immediately left the room, not wanting to put up with Len's… whatever this was.

At the end of the day, Len was no closer to finding the key to confidence in confessing his feelings than he had been prior. In fact, all he had learn was that fanfiction smut was well written, yet kinky, comic books and manga had unrealistic standards for romance, and that Jessica's First Summer should be a more appreciated film. Len was unsure if he would ever be able to tell Rin the truth at the rate he was going. Well, it wasn't all bad. He still had the friendship he treasured after all. And the pink feelings inside were equally treasurable. So, perhaps it wasn't all bad.

It was a month or two later that Len had received an odd text from Rin, simply reading 'Courthouse, 11am. I know you don't have classes today.' Not only was it ominous, it was terrifying. Yet Len found himself at the city courthouse that day around 11am in March. It was barely spring now, and Len had on only a pink hoodie. Rin approached him inside the courthouse, wearing her usual blouse and jeans.

"I'm here," Len greeted her with a smile. Rin gave a brief small smile, "So, uh, what did you call me down here for? I'm not under arrest right?"

"No, I wouldn't tell you over text if you were," Rin said. Len didn't know if that was relieving or terrifying, "Today is the day the jury decides if Luka Akarine is guilty or acquitted from the double homicide from the start of the year."

"Really?" Len was surprised, given how recent it was, "It happened quite quickly. Wasn't there a plea bargain?"

"It was a fight between insanity and life." Rin sighed in annoyance, "The lawyer apparently insisted, and the trial was emphasized to be brief on determining that. It's a weird move, but…"

"And you wanted me to be there for you while it happened?" Len guessed. Rin seemed caught off guard by his response.

"…I would appreciate it if you would, yes" Rin regained her composure rather quickly, "I have no clue if the victims' families are in the room, let alone the killer's."

"I understand," Len quickly reassured Rin with a smile, "I have nothing else to do today, so I don't mind. Besides, I can't say no to one of your requests." Oh boy, that must've sounded weird out loud.

"Is that so?" Rin mused, but then quickly said, "Ah, it's about to start. Let's get into the courtroom."

The courtroom was rather packed today, or perhaps it was like that every day. Len wasn't quite sure, but he was up front with Rin by the prosecutor. The judge sat at the podium, awaiting the jury to return. Len looked over at the defendant, where a woman with long pink hair stood. She must've been the killer then. Her mere appearance made Len feel nervous. He noticed that Rin too was a bit on edge by simply being in the same room as this woman. Or, maybe that was her simply being nervous in the courtroom. The jury members returned from a back room onto their little soapbox.

"All rise," The judge called. Everyone got to their feet, "Has the jury decided?"

"We have your honor." The jury member, likely the head member, responded, pausing before saying, "We find the defendant, Luka Akarine, guilty on one count of pre meditated first degree murder, and guilty on one count of first degree murder."

A single tearful, relieved sob cut through the courtroom, probably from a victim's loved one. Len looked over at the defendant, wondering if she had reacted. Much to his surprise, and mild horror, she seemed just as composed as before the verdict. Luka Akarine was still warmly smiling. This woman was very much someone who was bound to end up in prison one day.

Rin and Len stepped out of the courthouse, standing outside the steps of the building. Rin seemed relieved that the trial was over, aside from the final sentencing being held tomorrow. Len was relieved to simply be away from the murderer. That woman made him feel nervous.

"It's over, for now." Rin sighed in relief, "She was terrifying to interrogate. She confessed to murder, and refused legal counsel."

"She confessed?" Len repeated, not surprised but a tiny bit horrified, "She really did? Wow."

"She was so nice too. It was creepy." Rin frowned, recalling the interrogation it seemed, "But it's over now. She'll be in jail for a long time, maybe even the rest of her life. I doubt she'll ever feel guilt about the lives she took."

"Something tells me that you're right." Len agreed quietly, "That lady was unsettling, and she never said a word inside. Her smile's…just creepy." Len was unsure of how to word it.

"Well, you don't have to worry about it now, unless you watch the news later tonight," Rin stretched a bit, pulling out her phone to check the time, "You said you can't deny any of my requests, right?"

"Huh? Um, uh," Len stammered, realizing she had remembered that careless line he'd thrown out, "Y-yeah, I guess I did."

"Then, you'd buy me lunch right?" Rin smiled at him, a sincere smile for once.

"H-huh?" Len gulped, his face flushed bright pink, "W-well, I can if you want. Any reason why?"

"…I just want to get to know you better. After all," Rin added as the two began to walk away from the courthouse, "You said you had nothing better to do didn't you?"

"Well, um, aren't-aren't you busy?" Len fumbled with his words, worried about taking up her time.

"I'm off today actually." Rin said, and added, "And I don't feel like being alone today for once." Len paused for a moment before smiling.

"Then, it's a date, I guess." Len mumbled out, "How about that?" Rin smiled back at her friend.

Len's face was practically matching his hoodie now as the two made their way to the nearest restaurant. His rising pink feelings were finally making their way to the surface, slowly but surely. Len's feelings bloomed like a fresco rose.

Len's chapter is probably one of the happier chapters of the whole story? If not the happiest. Can you guess what character will be the focus on chapter 4 and what color? Hint: I hint at the character here. Kingdom Mitsumi


End file.
